For the past week, I've been engrossed in Arkham City, the sequel to the 2009 hit Batman: Arkham Asylum that garnered a number of Game of the Year awards. The reviews are as strong or stronger than the first game and many are already claiming it to be perhaps the best game of the year.

In the year since the events of Arkham Asylum, former warden Quincy Sharp is now Mayor of Gotham City and authorizes the development of a new prison facility comprised of a large section of Gotham's slums. Known as Arkham City, it is run by the mysterious Professor Hugo Strange. Batman knows that something is not right. Allowing some of the city's most dangerous villains free rein within the open-air prison has disaster written all over it. Furthermore, there's something about Strange that Batman does not like.

Featuring a plot written by Paul Dini of Batman: The Animated Series fame. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill once more voice Batman and The Joker respectively. The cast also features Corey Burton as Hugo Strange, Tara Strong as Harley Quinn, Grey DeLisle as Catwoman, Nolan North as The Penguin, Maurice LaMarche as Mr. Freeze, Troy Baker as Two-Face, Wally Wingert as The Riddler, and many more.

I really love the Joker's design: kind of wish they'd gone with that in The Dark Knight even though I know it would have clashed with the realistic platform.

"It is written among the limitless constellations of the celestial heavens, and in the depths of the emerald seas....the world which we see is an outward and visible dream of an inward and invisible reality."

I was impressed by the commercials and have heard nothing but good news about the finished game.

I was really impressed by the Harley Quinn voice in the TV ads, too. Hard to believe she was voiced by Tara Strong this time!

The wireless Batarang controller that was released around the same time is also a great-looking peripheral. It might actually become my next PS3 controller.

P.S. -- It's allegedly also the last time Mark Hamill will voice The Joker unless someone comes up with a script that really catches his interest. He wants to move to other roles... As if he hasn't been voicing other characters (The Spectre, a bunch of slimeball corporate types, The Trickster, etc...)!

"Waiter, more champagne...and plenty of ice!"- Randall/Time Bandits, 14 April 1912, 20 to midnight -- local time

I reserved mine at Gamestop and it came with an Animated Series skin, so yeah, I'm pretty sure it's a retailer thing . Though there was a sheet taped to the counter at Gamestop showing all the skins, and the guy asked me if I wanted to buy them (it said $5 on the paper). Not sure if it was all of them or just a few, as I didn't look too closely. I did not buy them, though.

If any one hasn't picked up Arkham City yet, a heads up that in a couple of weeks they will be releasing the Game of the Year edition. It will include all the DLC extras including the new bonus chapter DLC to the main story that will also be released.